Plane Art

Because my laptop’s battery seems to be behaving itself rather poorly recently, I was left unable to watch my movie on the flight home, and, thus, looking for other things to occupy myself with, I broke out my sketchbook and set to art-ing it up.

…In context, I must tell you, Dear Internet, that I was seated next to a 9-month old girl and her mother. I found my seat, saw them, and my spirits fell. The last thing I needed was some miserable little munchkin making loads of noise to keep me up while I attempted to make up for the previous night’s ill-advised antics.

The girl, to her credit, behaved herself admirably, being almost silent the entire trip. Not a single cry, the entire time. It was fantastic, it was delightful, it was everything a child that age … isn’t. I really do detest small children, but I’m willing to make an exception for this charming little girl.

Her mother was equally fantastic, keeping her daughter occupied or asleep with a minimum of noise, baby talk, or other such nonsense. She was also enthralled with my artwork. She watched me do the entire thing, and would (hilariously) look away and apologise for staring, watch the seatback telly for a few minutes, then inevitably be drawn back to the art-in-progress.

As we made our approach to Calgary, I took a few quick snaps of the piece, then removed it from the book – harder than expected, I’m used to having a pocketknife on hand, and planely didn’t. (Ohgod. I’m so sorrry. I couldn’t resist.) I think I made the woman’s week when I offered her the piece. She’d been really nice, her daughter was a partial inspiration for the work, and it seemed fitting that she get it rather than I keep it all crammed up in it’s notebook. After all, the real fun is making it, not so much the keeping.

Sure, it’s a little creepy to show off to a little girl, but it’s a little deeper than that. “The Future” is more about the hope held within the future, and our role to hold, in trust, the environment and the world so that it may one day support future generations.